Friday
South River Ride
Thursday
Birthday Trip
Concurrent Andy Warhol exhibits at the National Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museums in DC hatched the idea for a trip to celebrate my birthday! So last Friday, Gretchen and I headed to Manassas because we wanted to explore the quaint downtown we had seen several times on rail trips when the train stopped at the AMTRAK station. The "Fall Gallery Walk" was scheduled for Friday evening. After dinner at the Philadelphia Tavern, we walked around Old Town visiting about 10 galleries and stores hosting local artists. It was a pleasant evening but Gretchen and I had similar impressions. We both felt the crowd and the quality of the art work both fell short of what we find at Lynchburg's First Friday's.
First stop Saturday was the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles. The Center is named after a Turkish immigrant who became a pioneer in the aircraft leasing business and subsequently donated 66 million dollars to establish the museum! I am so glad he did because the Center is an amazing place; the scale of the exhibits is mind boggling. Small balloon baskets hang above large fighter planes. Tiny planes that set speed records during the twentieth century sit next to a Boeing passenger jet. It is neat to walk down an aisle and see the rapid development of engines in bi-planes of the early 1900s, or the evolution of fighter planes during WW II. Oh, there is a space shuttle in residence too! The adjacent picture reminded us of JabberJaws, the laser we borrowed from the Yates each year during sailcamp so Kelley and Katie would each have a boat to sail. We left the Museum and headed to a nearby Trader Joe's (for coffee beans) and on to the Metro stop at Vienna.
The Warhol exhibits were quite different from our knowledge of his works (think Campbell soup cans). In the National Gallery, the exhibit was called Headlines, and it focused on early works where Warhol was reproducing newspaper copy in his paintings adding his own twists. Quite interesting. The Hirshhorn exhibit called Shadows displayed for the first time all 102 paintings of a shadow in his loft that Warhol painted in striking colors with a mop. Displayed on the curved wall of the Hirshhorn (more than half way around the building), it was an impressive hanging of his work.
Saturday was a beautiful day on the Mall and we enjoyed the fall colors as we walked to the Martin Luther King Memorial. It is a dramatic monument opposite the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin. His words etched in stone that inspired so many in his day are strikingly thoughtful and relevant today!
The plan was to end our day in Washington with an early dinner before heading back to our hotel in Manassas. Our chosen restaurant was a highly rated tapas place named Jaleo. To say Jaleo is outstanding is an understatement! The menu is eclectic and we enjoyed every morsel of food and a dram or two of a fine Spanish wine. Gretchen and I reflected on how great it is to be able to enjoy a birthday dinner like this one, how blessed our lives have been, and how long a journey it has been from our roots growing up in Schuylkill Haven!
Itching to use our National Park Senior Pass at least once this year, we decided to return home via Skyline Drive. It was a beautiful day for the drive, but climbing south out of Front Royal, it quickly became apparent that winter had descended on the Blue Ridge. Snow still lined the roadway from last week's early storm and the trees had dropped their leaves. Still, Shenandoah NP is always beautiful and we were surprised and pleased to see that every parking lot was filled with the cars of hikers and cyclists enjoying the outdoors.
Thanks Gretchen for a great birthday celebration!
Tuesday
TOF Brothers Update
We have been riding but the app I was using to write this blog was not in service! Two rides were in Amherst County. The first took us from Elon, around the valley by Father Judd and up over Tobacco Row via Wagon Trail Road. That found us heading back to Elon on Route 130 with pie on our minds. This time Woodruff's Store was open and we ate lunch and even took apple pies home to share! The second ride started off 130 near the Parkway with the first stop at the Ottie Cline Powell memorial. Ottie was a 5 year old boy who wandered away from a school in the Pleasant View valley in the fall of 1891 and disappeared. His body was found in the spring on top of Bluff Mountain, about 10 miles to the west and over 2000 feet above the valley floor!
Continuing the ride from the memorial, we traced a figure eight through Pleasant View north to Route 60 and returning via the Buffalo Springs Turnpike to 130 and our starting point. David was "the man" on a bike this day; he really rode long and strong! Great show Dave!!
Total miles for the two rides was about 75 miles.
Sold on the ride to lunch idea, we began one day at David's house and rode to Altavista. It's a downhill trek to Altavista and that means a slight grade returning, but overall a great rolling ride with little traffic and great rural scenery. The Main Street Cafe is a fine lunch stop. Riding a bike 38 miles on a beautiful fall day; great way to spend a few hours!
Last week's ride started in Fincastle and headed southwest through the valley bordered on the east by Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob; well known territory for all AT hikers in the region. The lolly pop (think Sugar Daddy) was very hilly with a side trip to the famous hiker stop, the Catawba Store. Good training ride for our upcoming Nelson County loop which Gary announced would be the week of November 14th! Total miles 39 (40 on Tom's speedometer)!
Monday
Family
Recently, we went to see our new granddaughter in South Carolina. This blog was delayed because the app I was using did not work when iOS5 was introduced. I just found a new app that works with Blogger and the iPAD! The trip got me thinking about the word family. It's a word that brings many connotations to mind; perfect TV families of the sixties, Archie and Meathead, mob families focused on crime, tribal families that rule villages and regions, royal families, religious families and the nuclear family with its many variations. But it's the nuclear family with its extensions that most of us experience and cherish; moms, dads, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents and cousins.
The family is were we spend our time and expend our energy. It's where relations begin, are cultivated and grow. Marriages are planned and celebrated here. Husbands and wives learn to live and work together as a family. It's where dads learn to provide, moms to nurture and the reverse as well! It's where children grow with love, learn how to live with others, fail, retry and experience success. It's where they develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. The family transfers values from one generation to the next; moral, spiritual, cultural and political. It's where kids learn about responsibility, about motivation and work ethic and about healthy life styles.
Distance in our mobile society makes it more difficult for family members to gather, but we do; for births and birthdays, anniversaries and marriages, graduations and holidays, reunions and visits and of course funerals. It is always fun to be with family members who have moved to other locations. So it was in August when we gathered in SC for Maggie's birth and later for her homecoming! We look forward to gathering for other special occasions in her life, and in the lives of other members of the Alexander, Arenz, Bender, Bolton, Gorman, Hill, Olmes, Phelps and Morgan families. We are all indeed blessed for the strong, extended family we all foster and enjoy!
Wednesday
Chesapeake Bay Fall 2011
October 4th
Arrived in Deltaville with plans to get SunShower in the water and spend the night at Norview Marina. I asked if they could put me in a slip with a floating dock because last spring I stayed here on a fixed dock and could barely get off of the boat at low tide. The amicable staff put me in a a slip large enough for 50 foot yachts and there was one on each side of me!
October 5th
Today was the kind of day sailors live for! Blue cloudless sky, warm with 10-15 knot winds, 1-3 foot seas and a broad reach all the way from Deltaville to Cape Charles! I sailed SunShower farther today (23 nautical miles) than any time since we bought her. Saw a small menhaden fleet (3 ships) fishing at the mouth of the Rappahannock River and then a large fleet (10 ships) steaming up the Bay towards Reedville, I presume.
Got a slip in the Cape Charles Harbor Marina; a new massive floating dock complex that is really nice. I just hope they plan to build a better bath house and limit it to paying customers. The restrooms were basic but clean. Cape Charles is a beautiful town to walk around. It was first developed as a railroad center for the New York Railroad. The company ferried rail cars across the Bay by barge and then took them north by rail. The Eastern Shore Railroad continues operation to this day, however very sporadically. For decades it supplied Eastern Shore towns and took their goods to markets on mainland Virginia.
I have never sailed into Cape Charles before and it has been a goal for years; checked off as I write!
October 6th
Walked around Cape Charles this morning for exercise after breakfast and stopped in a coffee shop for a cup and wifi access. I do need my daily crossword puzzles even at sea. The winds shifted to the northeast over night so I headed across the Bay on a broad reach just like yesterday! It's a 15nm jaunt to Mobjack Bay and today's sail was exhilarating with 15 knot winds and 2-4 foot swells. The sound of SunShower plowing up the waves or surfing off them was mesmerizing; just a great experience. Once in Mobjack Bay, I plotted a course for the East River with porpoise swimming alongside. Anchored at a spot just downstream from a sailing, kayak and rowing center Matthews County is developing at William's Wharf, the site of an old ferry dock. It is a tranquil setting with Canadian geese honking their way north and a pair of owls hooting on the western bank. Sailing distance today about 20 nm.
October 7th
Winds were in the 5-10 knot range today so I spent the time sailing and motoring around Mobjack Bay. Checked out the North River first then sailed across the bay to the mouth of the Severn River. The entire area is very unspoiled and rural; a very pretty setting. Got a slip tonight at the Severn River Marina. It is a small marina with basic facilities but it appears to have a bustling maintenance business. Looking forward to a shower and recharging my electronics! Thirty plus years ago I anchored with Garland in one of the rivers off of Mobjack Bay, but it all looks brand new to me now!
October 8th
It's time to make my way back north to Deltaville and the wind is forecast to be 5-10 knots from the.....NORTH! The day began with a beat out of Mobjack Bay, the only problem was I sailed out the southern end and made no progress north. So I motored to the New Point Comfort Light and since the breeze was pretty good, I tried to sail. Two beats brought me back to the same marker; SunShower could not make progress into the wind and waves. Hence, the motor was cranked again and hopes of reaching the "Hole in the Wall" were abandoned. I ducked into Horn Harbor and decided to stop at a marina for gas since I had motored quite a bit. Arriving three minutes before closing I pumped 5.5 gallons into a 6 gallon tank! Spent the night in a small quite anchorage just beyond the marina....beautiful! The nights are clear and cool with the moon waxing daily. It was a great day for Zen on the Bay today!
October 9th
Repeat of yesterday, only less wind and smaller waves. It's motor time! And many hours later, I arrived back at Norview Marina in Deltaville. I used to get frustrated with days like today, but I have learned that the Chesapeake is a big place and at times the wind will take you far to a spot you want to visit and other times it will not. The latter is what motors do best, even on a sailboat! And sailors can still enjoy being on the water, listening to the waves, watching the wildlife, and the other boats. After eating canned fare the last three days on the boat, I got to go to a restaurant tonight; life is good.
October 10th, Columbus Day
What better way to celebrate Columbus Day than to sail! Garland and I used to meet at Smith Mountain Lake on this day each year. It was our ritual; if only our BSA bosses knew! I had hoped to get a short sail in today before pulling the boat out of the water at high tide. Alas, this morning, there was not the hint of a breeze on the water that would warrant raising a sail. So, it was time to prep SunShower for the ride home. It has been a fine trip. I got to explore two spots I've had on my list for years and got several outstanding days under sail. Can't wait for my next trip in the spring!
Tom
- Posted using BlogPress. from my iPad
Arrived in Deltaville with plans to get SunShower in the water and spend the night at Norview Marina. I asked if they could put me in a slip with a floating dock because last spring I stayed here on a fixed dock and could barely get off of the boat at low tide. The amicable staff put me in a a slip large enough for 50 foot yachts and there was one on each side of me!
October 5th
Today was the kind of day sailors live for! Blue cloudless sky, warm with 10-15 knot winds, 1-3 foot seas and a broad reach all the way from Deltaville to Cape Charles! I sailed SunShower farther today (23 nautical miles) than any time since we bought her. Saw a small menhaden fleet (3 ships) fishing at the mouth of the Rappahannock River and then a large fleet (10 ships) steaming up the Bay towards Reedville, I presume.
Got a slip in the Cape Charles Harbor Marina; a new massive floating dock complex that is really nice. I just hope they plan to build a better bath house and limit it to paying customers. The restrooms were basic but clean. Cape Charles is a beautiful town to walk around. It was first developed as a railroad center for the New York Railroad. The company ferried rail cars across the Bay by barge and then took them north by rail. The Eastern Shore Railroad continues operation to this day, however very sporadically. For decades it supplied Eastern Shore towns and took their goods to markets on mainland Virginia.
I have never sailed into Cape Charles before and it has been a goal for years; checked off as I write!
October 6th
Walked around Cape Charles this morning for exercise after breakfast and stopped in a coffee shop for a cup and wifi access. I do need my daily crossword puzzles even at sea. The winds shifted to the northeast over night so I headed across the Bay on a broad reach just like yesterday! It's a 15nm jaunt to Mobjack Bay and today's sail was exhilarating with 15 knot winds and 2-4 foot swells. The sound of SunShower plowing up the waves or surfing off them was mesmerizing; just a great experience. Once in Mobjack Bay, I plotted a course for the East River with porpoise swimming alongside. Anchored at a spot just downstream from a sailing, kayak and rowing center Matthews County is developing at William's Wharf, the site of an old ferry dock. It is a tranquil setting with Canadian geese honking their way north and a pair of owls hooting on the western bank. Sailing distance today about 20 nm.
October 7th
Winds were in the 5-10 knot range today so I spent the time sailing and motoring around Mobjack Bay. Checked out the North River first then sailed across the bay to the mouth of the Severn River. The entire area is very unspoiled and rural; a very pretty setting. Got a slip tonight at the Severn River Marina. It is a small marina with basic facilities but it appears to have a bustling maintenance business. Looking forward to a shower and recharging my electronics! Thirty plus years ago I anchored with Garland in one of the rivers off of Mobjack Bay, but it all looks brand new to me now!
October 8th
It's time to make my way back north to Deltaville and the wind is forecast to be 5-10 knots from the.....NORTH! The day began with a beat out of Mobjack Bay, the only problem was I sailed out the southern end and made no progress north. So I motored to the New Point Comfort Light and since the breeze was pretty good, I tried to sail. Two beats brought me back to the same marker; SunShower could not make progress into the wind and waves. Hence, the motor was cranked again and hopes of reaching the "Hole in the Wall" were abandoned. I ducked into Horn Harbor and decided to stop at a marina for gas since I had motored quite a bit. Arriving three minutes before closing I pumped 5.5 gallons into a 6 gallon tank! Spent the night in a small quite anchorage just beyond the marina....beautiful! The nights are clear and cool with the moon waxing daily. It was a great day for Zen on the Bay today!
October 9th
Repeat of yesterday, only less wind and smaller waves. It's motor time! And many hours later, I arrived back at Norview Marina in Deltaville. I used to get frustrated with days like today, but I have learned that the Chesapeake is a big place and at times the wind will take you far to a spot you want to visit and other times it will not. The latter is what motors do best, even on a sailboat! And sailors can still enjoy being on the water, listening to the waves, watching the wildlife, and the other boats. After eating canned fare the last three days on the boat, I got to go to a restaurant tonight; life is good.
October 10th, Columbus Day
What better way to celebrate Columbus Day than to sail! Garland and I used to meet at Smith Mountain Lake on this day each year. It was our ritual; if only our BSA bosses knew! I had hoped to get a short sail in today before pulling the boat out of the water at high tide. Alas, this morning, there was not the hint of a breeze on the water that would warrant raising a sail. So, it was time to prep SunShower for the ride home. It has been a fine trip. I got to explore two spots I've had on my list for years and got several outstanding days under sail. Can't wait for my next trip in the spring!
Tom
- Posted using BlogPress. from my iPad
Friday
Ride for Pie Failed
TOF brothers headed out to Woodruff's Store with visions of peach pie dancing in their heads. But on arrival, a sign declared it was vacation week and not a pie was to be found. Gary was distraught!
But we rallied and rode back to Lynchburg for lunch on Main Street. Good ride (34 miles) on a beautiful fall day. First break in the summer heat we have had!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
But we rallied and rode back to Lynchburg for lunch on Main Street. Good ride (34 miles) on a beautiful fall day. First break in the summer heat we have had!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Granddaughter
Friday noon and a call from Kelley indicated she was being admitted to the hospital immediately! Her pregnancy was going fine until a few weeks ago when she began to have a few symptoms indicating pre-eclampsia. Pre-what? It's an autoimmune condition where the body begins to reject the pregnancy; a serious threat to both baby and mother. Tests at the Grand Strand Medical Center indicated Kelley's condition was getting pretty severe and Baby Hill would need to be delivered. But the approach of hurricane Irene called for her immediate transport to the McCleod Medical Center in Florence that houses the regional NICU that could best handle a 31 week old baby.
Kelley's conditions was deteriorating quickly and the doctors said they needed to do a c-section as soon as the 48 hour steroid treatment to mature the baby's lungs was complete. So at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday (August 28th), Kelley was wheeled to the operating room to deliver. Seth said the baby was born squealing and breathing on her own; a healthy, beautiful baby girl (Margaret Elizabeth Hill, 3lbs-6oz, 17 inches tall).
Rachel and Wes came to visit on Sunday and were present for the birth and we all got to see Maggie later in the evening!
Monday, the doctor in the NICU said Maggie was doing fine. The nurses indicated she was really feisty and actually big for a baby in their unit; the average baby weight is closer to 2 lbs! We all got to hold Maggie; a treat we did not expect!
By the time we left for home on Wednesday, Kelley and Maggie were doing fine, something pink was purchased and Aunt Katie was on her way to meet her niece. The doctors indicate it will probably be 4-6 weeks before Kelley and Seth can take Maggie home. Overall, we could not have hoped for a better outcome. A very serious medical issue was resolved with mom and daughter as healthy as could be expected! A tip of the hat to the McCleod Medical Center, a great facility with a wonderful staff!
What a great blessing grandchildren are! They renew life through their innocence, laughter, and discoveries! They remind you of things long forgotten from your children's childhood, and are just a treat to be around. And so Maggie, Grandma and I look forward to our times with you; holding you, reading to you, playing with you, giving presents to you, and most of all loving you!
Grandpa
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Kelley's conditions was deteriorating quickly and the doctors said they needed to do a c-section as soon as the 48 hour steroid treatment to mature the baby's lungs was complete. So at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday (August 28th), Kelley was wheeled to the operating room to deliver. Seth said the baby was born squealing and breathing on her own; a healthy, beautiful baby girl (Margaret Elizabeth Hill, 3lbs-6oz, 17 inches tall).
Rachel and Wes came to visit on Sunday and were present for the birth and we all got to see Maggie later in the evening!
Monday, the doctor in the NICU said Maggie was doing fine. The nurses indicated she was really feisty and actually big for a baby in their unit; the average baby weight is closer to 2 lbs! We all got to hold Maggie; a treat we did not expect!
By the time we left for home on Wednesday, Kelley and Maggie were doing fine, something pink was purchased and Aunt Katie was on her way to meet her niece. The doctors indicate it will probably be 4-6 weeks before Kelley and Seth can take Maggie home. Overall, we could not have hoped for a better outcome. A very serious medical issue was resolved with mom and daughter as healthy as could be expected! A tip of the hat to the McCleod Medical Center, a great facility with a wonderful staff!
What a great blessing grandchildren are! They renew life through their innocence, laughter, and discoveries! They remind you of things long forgotten from your children's childhood, and are just a treat to be around. And so Maggie, Grandma and I look forward to our times with you; holding you, reading to you, playing with you, giving presents to you, and most of all loving you!
Grandpa
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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